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This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. ObjectiveFaculty satisfaction and retention are one of the key areas that most of the educational institutions are focused. The faculty turnover can hamper the teaching and research goals of the higher educational institutions. A lot of resources involved in the recruitment of faculty including time, it is imperative that higher educational institutions try to keep and retain the faculty members. The attrition rate and turnover of the faculty at Avalon University School of Medicine (AUSOM) are minimal. The objective of this pilot study is aimed at exploring the policies and procedures that are practiced at AUSOM which foster the faculty retention at Avalon.MethodsThe research study conducted is a quantitative method. The survey form was used to perform the survey, and the questionnaire developed on the Likert scale of one to five. The survey form also included the qualitative questions like to mention the most important factor in retaining the teachers in higher education and open-ended question for further comments.ResultsFaculty perceived that faculty development activities, student feedback and satisfaction, promotional policies and tenure procedures, research opportunities, attractive salary packages, annual incentives and hikes, working environment, living conditions, and quality of life play a role in retaining the faculty members at higher educational institutions. Faculties are satisfied with these factors, policies, and procedures at AUSOM.ConclusionThe policies and procedures that are practiced at AUSOM is the reason for the high retention of faculty members at Avalon.

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Current interest regarding holistic assessments in medical education is high. This is especially the case for use during clinical rotations and post-graduate residency programs. Holistic assessments consist of the complete process of assessing students in history taking, data gathering, and physical examination of the patient. In addition to knowledge of the medical sciences, communication and patient interaction skills are a critical part of these drills. Holistic assessment strategy differs from objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) as it is a contiguous process compared to OSCE which assesses in compartments. The compartmental approach of OSCE is still effective in providing if the examinations are conducted correctly. To date, OSCE is the most comprehensive student evaluation technique following clinical rotations. Conducting the OSCE and standardized patient assessments are challenging for medical schools with limited resources, but achievable with proper planning. Those resources include standardized patients, physicians, faculty members, and adequately equipped physical facilities. Both the standardized patients and examiners require training. In spite of the challenges, this program has observed that proper use of OSCE exams done with a logistical approach is feasible and beneficial in our medical teaching environment.

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Objectives The socio-cultural learning theory can be divided into a social and cultural process. Learner's learning occurs within the context rather than anticipating and preparing for the future context. It may happen in the workplace through apprenticeship, experiential learning, or community-based learning. Community-based education and community services have always been part of the students' volunteer services at Avalon University School of Medicine. The importance of community-based education has led to its recent integration into the curriculum. The objective of this study is to observe the community services in the field and to record the perceptions of students regarding community-based education at Avalon University School of Medicine.MethodsThis is a qualitative study. The research was conducted in the form of an observational study and framework analysis was done. The community-based education and community services were observed and recorded along with individual interviews. Students from different semesters were selected randomly for the interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed.ResultsAll interviewed students (100%) reported that they are involved in community services. 53.8% of students were not able to recognize the health issues of Curacao. 84.6% of students recognized and acknowledged the local health issues after reminding them of the activities conducted in the community services. 84.6% of students believed community services enhanced their clinical skills and increased their confidence in communication skills.ConclusionCommunity-based education enhances the competency of future physicians in clinical and communication skills.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Background:Two types of assessments used in the medical education are summative and formative assessments. Summative assessments evaluate a student's learning progress and typically provide concrete grades or pass/fail decisions. The main purpose of the formative assessments is to provide the feedback and improve the learning behavior of the students. However, it is less known about the impact of the formative assessments on overall student's performance in summative assessments. This study is intended to study the effects after the implementation of formal formative assessments on students overall performance in summative assessments or any changes in the total grade point average in a Caribbean Medical School which is a low resource context.Materials and Methods:A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among the basic sciences students at AUSOM in May 2017. The study was supported by quantitative data, quantitative and qualitative questionnaires to address the objectives of the study. Data collected and analyzed with Stata (Stata 15).Results:58, among 67 total students took part in the study. The mean grade point average (GPA) with and without formative assessment was 2.83 (SD±.624745) and 2.29 (SD±.76575) respectively. There was a significant improvement in the overall GPA after the introduction of the formative assessments t (58) = 0.000567, p < .001.Conclusion:There was a significant improvement in the student's academic performance after the implementation of formative assessments. Formative assessments consolidate the learning and reinforce the learning behavior. It is necessary that formative assessments should be incorporated into the regular assessment system for the optimal educational output.